


End To Start

by jongsoon



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Model Moon Taeil, Office Worker Moon Taeil, Photographer Suh Youngho | Johnny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:22:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22860127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jongsoon/pseuds/jongsoon
Summary: To start again.
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Reader, Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Suh Youngho | Johnny/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it didn't come out that cheesy, but anyways... enjoy!

The bell hanging on the glass door of her small bookstore chimed lightly. She looked up from her counter to see a familiar figure approaching. It's Johnny, the owner of a photo studio two shops away from her, who became her closest friend since she moved there six months before.

Her shop was quiet at that time. There's only one young lady browsing for books at the back aisle while Jungwoo, her part-time assistant, was busy unboxing the newly delivered books at the corner.

Johnny glanced around before he spoke, "Is Yoojin at school?"

She frowned at his unusual question on her three years old daughter. "Yeah, why?"

"Would you mind if I pick her up later?" he rubbed his nape, couldn't help himself to be nervous when it comes to Yoojin. "I have something to do nearby her school. I should be done before she finishes. So you don't have to leave the store," explained him.

"Ah," she nodded. "Won't you be rushing back to the studio?"

"Nope. Full take over by Ten for today, so I'm quite free," he shrugged, grinning widely to assure her.

She glanced at Jungwoo who was struggling with the stack of boxes, concerned. "Looks like Jungwoo needs my help. I will inform her school then," she said, smiling gratefully at him. "Thanks a lot, John."

Johnny's face beamed, both from her answer and her smile. "Coffee later?"

She chuckled, "Like I could reject your offer when it comes to coffee. Drive safely."

"Copy that! See you," he winked before exiting the store.

She shook her head, couldn't help to shyly smile at his habit as she watched him through the window.

The two had been even closer lately, she didn't want to sweat it out. She let Johnny took care of her and her daughter while she tried her best to do the same in return. Johnny's presence could at least helped to balance the love Yoojin received in the absence of her father whom had never been there since the beginning. Having her daughter around had made her extremely careful when it's about opening her heart to someone as it's not only about herself anymore. Moreover, she had to admit that she was still having difficulties in dealing with her past.

It was around lunch time when the door opened. Yoojin ran towards her who was arranging the books in the middle aisle, leaving Johnny who held the door open for her while struggling with paper bags in his hand.

"Mommy!" she climbed to her lap and hugged her. "Hi, Uncle Jungwoo!" she waved at Jungwoo by the counter, whom smiled in reply.

"How was school?" she nuzzled her as she scooped her up into her arms. She hurriedly got up after spotting Johnny with the bags and helped him with her unoccupied hand.

"Fun!" Yoojin replied while patting her mom's cheek. "Uncle Johnny bought me ice cream."

"I bought lunch for us too," he announced.

She raised her eyebrow. "I thought we agreed on coffee?"

"Included, Ma'am. Or else I believe you're gonna skip lunch again."

"Thanks again, Johnny," replied her as she led him upstairs to her living area.

She put Yoojin down and walked towards the kitchen, taking over the rest of paper bags from his hands.

"What are you doing?" she questioned him who tailed her along.

"Helping?" he innocently answered.

She lightly smacked his upper arm and pushed him out of the kitchen. "Have a seat and rest."

"God, it's just a 15 minutes drive," he rolled his eyes as he made his way towards Yoojin who was digging into her box of toys.

"Lunch time, kiddos!" she later reappeared from the kitchen with a tray full of food, welcomed by excited cheers from the two. She served Johnny's rice before starting to prepare Yoojin's food.

"Kiddos? Including me?" Johnny straightened his back as his eyes scanned which food to take first.

"Yes, giant kid," she mindlessly stated.

She was waiting for Yoojin to finish chewing her food when a spoonful of food surprisingly stopped before her mouth instead. It's Johnny feeding his food to her.

"Hey, it's yours," she paused to feed Yoojin.

"Just in case you forgot to feed yourself," he made an excuse. "Unless you're grossed out by sharing the same spoon."

She laughed before eventually letting him feed her.

Johnny then prepared her food as she's about to finish feeding Yoojin, relying on his memories for the small details of her daily habit, including her amount of rice and her favorite food. "Now, have your lunch and let me take care of Yoojin."

"Yes, Boss," she began to add some side dishes as Johnny set the TV to Yoojin's favorite channel. "Not going back to the studio?"

"Gotta make use of my unofficial free day to spend time with my loved ones."

"Loved ones, huh?" her cheeks slightly blushed.

"You two deserve that title."

"Well, we're honored, Sir," she replied in between. "Anyway, how's your clothing line project? Still going?"

Johnny who was playing with Yoojin's hair immediately turned his full attention at her after the mention of his project with Ten. "We'll do the photoshoot tomorrow afternoon. Changing your mind?" he asked, hopelessly hopeful that she would finally agree to be his model.

"Nope, a firm no," she stated. "Don't make me regret telling you about my past career."

A bitter smile flashed on his face. "Just... if you change your mind anytime, I'd be honored to be the first one who take your photos again, not only for this project."

"Nah, not gonna happen," she shrugged as her smile vanished, suddenly turning the atmosphere into an awkward one.

Johnny was sensitive enough to sense her gloom as she stared down blankly at her food. He knew there was something more from her past that she didn't tell him, or she was still hesitant to tell him, or even she'd been trying to erase. Johnny, being his respectful self, was trying his best not to push her all this time if pushing her means hurting her more, whatever the real reason beneath. But sometimes, he himself couldn't help to feel as if she didn't trust him that much yet by not sharing such truths. And to be honest to himself, he's actually worried that he couldn't hold himself back any longer soon.

The unpleasant atmosphere remained until she finished eating and began to clean up. Johnny assisted her in silence as he followed her to the kitchen, bringing the used cups and utensils. He hesitantly stood beside her, watching her washing the dishes. After considering things for a moment, he then stepped closer and carefully placed his hands on her waist.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to. I just-"

"It's okay. It's not your fault," she immediately shook her head to assure him.

Johnny bit his lower lip as he unconsciously tightening his grip on her waist. "I wish one day you would share it with me."

She paused for a moment before turning the tap off and dried her hands. She turned around to face Johnny, looking into his brown eyes in silence.

"Do you actually think I don't deserve to know it?" Johnny questioned, not in a demanding manner but a rather hopeless one, almost became rhetoric. "Just... let me know so I can stop wondering. Or... maybe even stop hanging around you."

She let out a heavy sigh, cornered. She was unsure with herself and it became more confusing that Johnny asked her about her real feelings. "Look, Johnny. It's not your fault at all. I mean it."

"Then why?"

"I'm still having a hard time to accept it myself. It's not your fault, it's mine." The corner of her lips curved up, forming a shaky smile. "I'm stuck."

Johnny cupped her cheek, searching for his courage in her eyes. He planted a light kiss on her forehead for the first time.

She was not surprised. Instead, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his shoulder blade as she finally realized how tired it had been in the last four years alone on her own.

"I'm really sorry, Johnny," she whispered.

He wrapped her closer into his hug as a response, leaning his cheek on top of her head.

After a moment, she slowly pulled herself away to look at his face. "I have no idea how I'd be if I didn't meet you here. Thank you for staying by my side all this time. I... I promise one day you will know everything you deserve to know. In the meantime, please let me deal with myself first."

Johnny hushed her. "Don't blame yourself for this, okay? I just... I just feel like you keep all the burden to yourself when you have me to share it with. But if you still need time, it's okay, I understand. I won't force you to," he gently squeezed her hands, smiling to calm her down. "I will always be here for you."

"Uncle Johnny! Help me!"

Yoojin's voice interrupted their conversation. The two turned to see the little girl was struggling with her toys. Her mom shook her head as she couldn't help to chuckle seeing her daughter.

"I guess I got a duty call," Johnny shrugged. "You may go downstairs. Don't worry about Yoojin, I will be her babysitter for today, free of charge."

She circled her arm around his waist as they walked back into the living room. "Love you, John," she replied while picking up her cup of coffee that he bought for her earlier. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way. Feel free to join me downstairs later, okay?"

"Yup! Love you too always!" he half shouted without even looking at her anymore since he was already focused on fixing the tangled strings of Yoojin's toys.

But until the closing time in the late afternoon, none of them came down to the bookstore. Jungwoo bid her goodbye and left after flipping the store sign to close. She went back upstairs just to find the two sleeping soundly on the carpet. Johnny was using his folded arm as a pillow while his other arm became a bolster for the little girl. She was smiling at the scene until the conversation she had with Johnny previously struck her again. _I have to be stronger for us all._


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, it was a Saturday afternoon. Jungwoo was scheduled to come after lunchtime, so she was playing with Yoojin behind the counter alone as there's no customer at the moment. Johnny suddenly barged in, flipping the store sign to close before he even spared a proper greeting to her, obviously in panic.

"I would like to apologize first from the bottom of my heart," he started off, panting.

She frowned in silence as she waited for him to continue. Yoojin on her lap wasn't bothered as she was focused on her sticker book.

"I really really am sorry to ask you for this favor, but I really ran out of ideas. I don't know who else could help me," Johnny gulped. "The female model had to cancel my appointment just now. She got into an accident on her way here."

Knowing exactly what's coming next, her face turned pale. "No, Johnny. No, I can't," she shook her head vigorously.

"Please, ______. The male model and all the stylists are here already. I can't delay this anymore since it will affect our release date. I tried to contact another female model before I came here, but they can't do last minute schedule. Now I have no other choice, ______. Please," he begged.

She nearly choked on her breath just by imagining the things she had to do. "It's been years, Johnny. I'm just gonna let you down instead."

"Four years only, ______. I believe it's still in you. You're a natural. You will adjust quickly," he tried his best to convince her.

She looked down at Yoojin on her lap, distracting herself from seeing Johnny begging before her.

"Would you please try first? You don't have to do it alone. Ten and I will assist you. Just please."

She pressed her lips together as she looked back up at him for a moment. It's Johnny asking her a favor for the first time ever and she even made him begging for that. It was extremely hard for her, but a small voice in her heart pushed her to at least try first, for Johnny.

"But don't expect too much," she decided eventually.

Johnny exhaled in relief, face beaming with joy. "Thank you so much. We owe you."

She did a quick packing of Yoojin's stuff while having her phone clamped between her cheek and her shoulder as she called Jungwoo that she had to leave the store before he arrived. Yoojin was already in Johnny's arms when she went downstairs, clueless on the panic her mom was actually going through.

Johnny took her by the hand after she locked the store, squeezing it gently to give an emotional support. Her heart was racing from all the anxious thoughts knowing that she was going to have her first photoshoot after four years.

"Oh, thank God!" Ten clapped as he saw them entering the lobby. "Follow me upstairs." He took her hand from Johnny and led her before she could even greet him.

"Don't worry. I'll watch her," Johnny answered her confused look and went directly inside the studio with the little girl.

Another guy was casually lying down on the sofa at the corner of the studio, sucking on his cigarette while his other hand was busy scrolling on his phone. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He stole a quick glance towards the door as Johnny entered.

"Change of plan, huh?" he took one last inhale of his cigarette and put it off after seeing the little girl in Johnny's arms.

"Like I would trust you handling kids," Johnny sneered. He then sat her down on the space next to Taeil who had got up to a sitting position. "Yoojin, this is Uncle Taeil. He's my friend."

Taeil immediately offered his palm for a high five, which she replied excitedly. "Hi, Little Princess."

The girl smiled ear-to-ear from the compliment.

"Yoojin, I'm gonna take photos of him first, okay? Just stay here. I'll be there," Johnny pointed at his camera at the center of the studio.

She nodded in reply and began to dig out her sticker book from her backpack.

"Since when you got a daughter?" Taeil whispered as they walked away from her.

Johnny chuckled, "Since six months ago when I met her mom." He stopped by his camera tripod. "Okay, now get ready to work."

Taeil fixed his slightly crumpled t-shirt. "Damn it feels awkward to be here again," he blinked his eyes a few times to get himself to focus.

Johnny leaned himself closer to the viewfinder. "Let's see how rotten you are," he mocked before clicking the shutter for a test. "Well, we definitely need lots of your magic today."

The clicking sound of shutter button and the flash attracted Yoojin. After observing the scene from her seat for a while, she slid down the sofa and approached it herself. She silently stood next to Johnny as she was immersed in watching Taeil changing his poses, following Johnny's directions.

"You want to join me, Princess?" Taeil waved at her while remained seated on the high stool as Johnny was checking his photos.

That was the moment Johnny realized that she had been there all along next to him.

Yoojin hesitantly glanced at Johnny for permission. "May I?"

Johnny smiled, "Sure, go on. I guess it's in your blood."

The girl skipped towards Taeil who then scooped her up to sit on his lap.

"Smile at the camera with me, okay?" he whispered to her as he pointed at the camera.

She nodded firmly and began to smile, following by a series of cute expressions that bursted Taeil and Johnny's laughter in between.

"You're seriously having fun without today's real star?" Ten's voice distracted them.

Taeil who was talking to Yoojin on her lap looked up to see his partner for that day. She was standing nervously next to Ten, wearing a matching outfit with Taeil. Her long wavy brunette hair was hanging freely, styled to give a sexy vibe on her. Her light make up enhanced the natural beauty she's already blessed with.

Both Taeil and Johnny had their gaze stuck on her, but she was the one whose heart stopped beating after realizing the person she had to work with. She was trying to calm herself down as she knew it clearly she couldn't back off from the session anymore. Plus, causing a scene would make everything worse instead.

Taeil glanced back and forth from her to Yoojin, hit hard by the reality. He gulped nervously. His grip at Yoojin unconsciously tightened.

"We'll come up with a masterpiece today," Johnny announced with confidence, breaking the silence. "Ah, before we begin, that's Taeil, your partner for today. He's my friend," he introduced.

She nodded, gaze still pinned at Taeil in disbelief.

"And Taeil, this is _______, no doubt she's my bestest model ever," Ten added. Normally, she would have smacked his back, but the situation had made her mind went blank.

Taeil forced a polite smile. "Nice to meet you." He was suddenly busy handling Yoojin as the kid started to shift on his lap and stand on his thigh to climb him.

Ten jumped in, trying to take Yoojin over before she ruined Taeil's hair and outfit, but the little girl began to sulk instead. Johnny glanced at the mom who stood still watching the commotion, frozen. Noticing her unusual behavior, he approached her and held her hand.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he whispered, purposely blocking the whole scene with his body.

"Yeah. I'm just... nervous," she lied.

"Just tell me if you need a break, okay? Don't force yourself."

She replied with a firm nod just to give him assurance. Behind Johnny, Ten was still struggling to persuade Yoojin to get off of Taeil.

Avoiding any eye contact with Taeil, she walked over and moved behind him to talk to Yoojin who was hiding her face on his shoulder. "What do you want, my dear?" asked her as she caressed her back.

"I want to play with Uncle Tael," Yoojin whined.

She nearly choked hearing the way she went by Taeil's nickname. "Yoojin, Uncle Taeil has to work first. You can play with him again after he's done. We'll be fast." It felt foreign for her tongue to speak out his name again, and especially to refer themselves as "we".

"I want now, Mommy," she tightened her hug around his neck.

"Hey, Princess." Taeil fixed her position to talk face to face with her. "Let's play a game!" he took out his phone from the back pocket of his jeans.

She watched him over his shoulder as he unlocked his phone. She pressed her lips together, muttering curses under her breath as she saw his lock screen, messing her mind more with an old picture of him and her during their trip together to Japan.

He himself didn't seem to realize that she's watching him all along over his shoulder. He opened the streaming app and showed the screen to Yoojin. "Which one do you want?" she pressed her favorite cartoon and the video began to play. "So, you have to watch it alone first and after that you have to high five me and tell me about the cartoon. If you're done, we will watch another show together. How is that?"

Yoojin nodded, smiling. "Understood!"

"So, let's move to your station!" he lifted her and ran towards the sofa and pretended to land her there. "Good luck, Princess! Don't forget to find me later, okay?"

She nodded again.

"Bonus gift! High five!"

She chuckled along and gave him a high five before focusing herself on his phone on her lap.

He walked back to the rest of them who watched the whole scene in awe. The three of them had been handling Yoojin all the time, yet they got beaten by Taeil who just met her for the first time.

"Settled," Taeil shrugged. "I guess we have to be quick."

"S..sure, yeah," replied Johnny, obviously still trying to grasp the event that just happened.

"You can sit on the stool again, Taeil," announced Ten, referring to the newly switched stool to a lower one. "And ______, just stand next to him."

They followed his instructions, but Ten was not impressed yet.

"Rest your arm on his shoulder, Miss. The other hand, up to you," he added.

She took a deep breath before getting into her first physical contact with Taeil again although a few minutes before she already expected that to happen. His shoulder twitched a bit as she landed her arm on it.

"I know both of you are nervous, but don't be so tense. Relax your jaw, guys," Johnny guided. He captured some shots as the two improvised with their expression.

Ten walked into the scene and guided her to moved behind Taeil to the position he projected in his mind. "Lean forward. Rest your elbow on his shoulder and your chin on your palm," he watched her moved accordingly. "Just slung your other arm over his shoulder. Not that loose, I guess. Yup, that's it. Proceed, John."

"Chin down a bit, darling," Johnny showed a thumb up in satisfaction and took the shots.

She could feel Taeil grew tense under her after Johnny called her that way. She was sure enough about it.

Ten folded his arms, looking intensely at the two as he analyzed the pose he'd like to see next. "Rest your cheek on his head. Slung both of your arms over his shoulders and hug him."

She felt like she stopped breathing as she followed the instructions. She could feel Taeil's heart beating faster when her arms grazed his chest to hug him.

"I think we got it," Johnny straightened his back and turned to Ten who was checking on the monitor.

"Wait. I got an idea," Ten snapped his fingers.

Whatever it was, it didn't seem good to her.

"Sit on his lap, facing him," Ten pointed at her. Everyone in the room, except the busy Yoojin, was taken aback, but nobody dared to object. "Oh, come on. Don't be shy." He dragged her, making her sit on Taeil whose expression was unreadable. He then began to set her arms around Taeil's neck without telling her beforehand as if she's his very own mannequin. "Yes, that's it," he commented in satisfaction on his own work after moving her hand onto Taeil's chest. He then proceeded to pull down her jacket off of her shoulder on one side to reveal her spaghetti strap top over her bare shoulder.

Ten took a few steps back to see the composition. "_____, look over your shoulder to the camera. Taeil, put your hand inside her back pocket. Hold 'em buns tight. Tell Johnny you own her."

Taeil took a deep breath and did what he was told to, bracing himself with whatever way she's going to respond later on.

"Yes! Love it. My queen, make other girls jealous you got him under you," Ten continued.

She tilted her head slightly and adjusted her expression. She just wanted everything to finish as soon as possible, trying to not be fully aware that it's actually Taeil she's hugging.

"As expected, our supermodel. Hold your jealousy and take that fabulous shot, big boy. Let Taeil enjoy it for a while," Ten joked as he pat Johnny's back, getting a loud smack in return. "See? Gosh, I love this couple. Now I'm glad that girl canceled," he added, showing Johnny the previews.

"Thanks to me, I guess? She wouldn't be here if I didn't use my charm," Johnny rebutted.

"You don't want me to leave, do you? Just shut up and work," she got off of Taeil and rolled her eyes.

"Patience is the key, babe. Solo shots now," Johnny teasingly replied.

Without a word, Taeil walked out of the studio, slamming the door shut.

"Uh oh," Ten grinned.

Johnny frowned. "What is he mad at?"

"Your annoying ass, what else?" answered her.

"Not my problem," Johnny casually shrugged. "Let's do it, girl."

Not long after her solo session began, none of them realized that Yoojin sneaked out of the studio. She saw Taeil exited the room previously and she decided to look for him, thinking that it's part of the game.

Taeil was smoking outside the front door when the little girl slipped out of the door which was slightly opened. He was surprised seeing her tugging on his jacket, smiling. He hastily took one last deep inhale and put the cigarette off. He blew the smoke to his side and squatted down to talk to her.

"Hey, what are you doing out here, Princess? Done with the show?" he smiled back, hands holding her tiny waist.

She shook her head. "I just want to follow you."

Taeil stared at her for a moment, looking deep into her eyes in regret. "May I hug you?"

She didn't reply but spreading her arms wide instead, grinning. "A big big hug!"

Taeil got down to his knees and gently pulled her into his hug. He closed his eyes as he stroked her hair. Holding back his tears, he kissed the top of her head and scooped her into his arms.

"Let's go inside, shall we?"

She replied with a nod and held tight onto his nape.

Everyone was surprised for the second time seeing Taeil entered the studio with Yoojin in his arms. He ignored the surprised faces and continued walking to the sofa to put Yoojin down.

"Can I continue watching?" she looked up at him, passing the locked phone to him.

Taeil sat down next to her and took his phone. "Do you want to watch other shows?" asked him as he circled his free arm around her back.

The familiar figure next to him on his phone's lock screen caught her attention, which she didn't realize earlier. "Is that mom?" she innocently enquired.

"Uh, yeah. She's pretty, isn't she? Just like you," he caressed her tiny arm.

"Moon Taeil!" Johnny shouted from his seat. He was alone since Ten had already gone, taking her to change upstairs.

"Coming," replied him before hurriedly passing his phone back to Yoojin. "We talk again later, okay?"

She nodded and started watching the video from his phone again.

"Your next outfit is there," informed Johnny, pointing at a rack next to the door.

Taeil followed his direction and went to change his clothes.

As Taeil disappeared into the changing room, Johnny felt like his sigh was suddenly seemed so loud in the silence. He was worried about everything: the clothes, the photoshoot, the release, and _her_. He walked towards the working station to check on the photos he had taken.

Ten was right. They both pulled it off. He himself wasn't sure if the female model who canceled previously would ever reach that point. But somehow he didn't want to admit the fact that the two really looked good together. There's an unexplainable chemistry between the two who just met that day. Johnny snorted as he realized something. He's jealous, a feeling that he had never felt towards her before as it had always been all along with no other guy around being in such a distance with her.

"Should I go first again?" Taeil's voice distracted his thoughts.

"Oh! Let's go." Johnny got up and took his camera. "Bring it, supermodel," teased Johnny as he watched Taeil getting ready.

Taeil hissed. "I'm gonna make you pay extra for me."

His session ended rather quick with Johnny's praise. "Not rotten yet, fortunately," he jokingly hit Taeil's upper arm. He then approached Yoojin while Taeil went out to get water from a small fridge at the lobby.

The kid fell asleep with Taeil's phone on her lap. Johnny stopped the video and put the phone away before he carefully laid her down on the sofa. He kissed her cheek and walked back to his working station to check on Taeil's recent shots.

Taeil sat down next to him, watching him as he took a big gulp of water. "So, is she the girl you talked about last time?"

"Uh, yeah," Johnny awkwardly laughed it off. "But there's still nothing official though. We're just... that close."

"Why?"

"I don't want to rush things, worried that I'll just disappoint her in the end. So I'm just letting things flow on its own. She seemed... to be hurt badly in the past although she never really opens up to me about that. I just shouldn't repeat the history," explained Johnny. "Right?" he added after receiving no response from the older guy.

"Yeah."

"Time to work your asses off, gentlemen," Ten butted in with her tailing behind.

She had changed to a short light denim dress with ivory lace details on it. Her hair was restyled with a side braid, giving a neat look to her long hair.

Johnny couldn't help to smile at her. He was still convincing himself that he's not dreaming to finally witness her model mode while he himself being the photographer for her.

She shyly smiled back to Johnny, at least that distracted her from the fact that Taeil was standing next to him, staring at her too.

"Now, can you both please stand in the middle?" Ten already switched into his directing mode.

The models followed suit, gaze focused on Ten, trying their best to avoid any eye contact between them.

"Hold her hand, Taeil. Eyes to the camera, both of you."

Taeil wished he could tell his hand to stop trembling as he took her hand. She herself couldn't help to feel foreign having his hand wrapping hers again. She slowly wrapped his hand with hers to make it more natural, mind chanting for her hand not to turn sweaty from her nervousness.

"Nice," Johnny commented before pressing the shutter. "Look to your side, facing each other but your body remains straight." Unfortunately Johnny broke their wish faster.

Her jaw tautened at the instruction. She blinked for a few times before facing the person she'd never wished to see again.

Taeil didn't smile, but his gaze at her spoke even louder that it shook her focus. She unconsciously held her breath back as she stared at him, trying to be more challenging than his loud gaze.

"Got it," announced Johnny.

She immediately sighed in relief after having a near death experience from a staring contest with Taeil just a few inches away from his face. But that's not the end yet as Ten was still having fun.

"Now turn your body facing each other, slightly open towards us," Ten continued. "Lean in, Taeil."

"What?" Taeil reflexively asked, flustered.

"You heard me, man. Lean in as if you're about to kiss her," replied Ten. "But don't kiss her for real. I don't want this big boy over here to set the studio on fire."

She had no idea why, but her hand naturally moved onto his chest as she scooted closer to him.

"Yes, you got it, ______. Look at his lips then look at the camera. Make Johnny jealous," Ten fueled the fire, earning a kick from Johnny's long leg as his mobility was limited.

After a couple hours more and a few other sets of outfit, the torture was finally done. She lifelessly went upstairs to change back to her clothes and get rid of the make up. She plumped herself at Johnny's bean bag at his living room, burying her face onto her palm.

"Are you okay?" One of the stylists who were about to leave stopped by to check on her.

She looked up and forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"Rest well after this. You've done a great job. Welcome back," she smiled back before walking away.

She snorted, head hung low. "Yeah, Taeil's comeback," she muttered as she stood up to head back to the studio where the rest were waiting.

She paused at the door seeing the change inside the studio. The guys had set up a small dining area combining the coffee table and the stools. Boxes of pizza and other snacks were covering the whole surface of the coffee table in front of the couch. Johnny and Ten were busy pouring out drinks while Taeil was occupied by Yoojin on the sofa as the little girl had woken up from her nap. She took a deep breath before stepping back into the reality.

"Okay, so, Ten and I would like to thank you both for your hard work today. Taeil, thank you for sparing your day off for us. And ______, thank you for willing to help us last minute. We're really satisfied with the shots today and hopefully that will be the beginning of our line's success!" Johnny glanced at Ten next to him and smiled. "Now let's get the party started! Heck I'm so hungry."

His quick speech was ended by a round of applause, including Yoojin who clapped happily on Taeil's lap.

She carefully sat next to Taeil as Johnny and Ten straight away grabbed their own food.

"Aren't you hungry, Yoojin?" she held her hand, smiling.

She nodded in response, half sleepy from her nap.

"Come with me. Let's eat, love." She reached her to take her over from Taeil, but she didn't budge. "Hey, come on. Let Uncle Taeil rest, he's hungry also."

"I want to eat with Uncle Tael," she began to whine again.

Taeil smiled at the sulky Yoojin. "Let's eat together then, but you have to eat a lot, okay?"

"I will eat looooots of pizza until I become a giant! A pizza monster!" she giggled.

"I will defeat you, pizza monster," Johnny chimed in. "I'm a giant too."

"No! No! Uncle Tael will save me from you!"

Johnny shook his head since his mouth was still full of food. "I will eat Uncle Taeil too! Like this!" he shoved the rest of his pizza into his mouth.

"You can't! Because Uncle Tael will become a pizza monster too!"

"Okay, pizza monster, here's your pizza," Taeil gave her a slice of pizza before getting another slice for himself.

"Hey, pizza monster, you really like Uncle Taeil, huh?" Ten teased her.

Yoojin nodded firmly as she couldn't reply in words because of her full mouth.

"It's cute how you both have the same eyes," Ten casually laughed, pointing out the bitter fact she couldn't stop thinking of ever since she saw Yoojin for the first time.

Taeil suddenly stopped munching before awkwardly chuckled to break the ice. He didn't dare to see how she would response to it next to him. "Is it?" he bluntly questioned.

"What do you expect? They're the pizza monsters! Right?" Johnny leaned in to tickle Yoojin's side. The little girl giggled as she tried to reach out to attack Johnny back.

Meanwhile, her mom had been eating slowly next to Taeil, not bothering to say a word responding to the others' joke. Her brain couldn't process his voice conversing with Yoojin as it had always remembered each voice for different section of her memories, not as one harmonizing together. The way Yoojin rejected her over Taeil had brought further fear of what might happen sooner or later if she found out the truth about Taeil.

"Uncle Tael, let's go home!" Yoojin jumped on the sofa once they finished eating.

Taeil turned towards her. "Go home?"

"Yeah, to my home next door. I want to show you my plushies!"

"Yoojin, stop bothering Uncle Taeil. He might be tired," her mom replied before him.

"You just want to show your plushies, right? It's okay. I can have a quick stop," Taeil assured her.

Johnny chuckled, "You're really spoiled by this uncle, huh?"

"It's not like I can do this everyday anyway," Taeil defended.

"You guys can go. No need to clean up. Just leave it to me," Ten announced as he got up and began to stack the empty boxes.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Yoojin continued jumping on the sofa.

"Yes, but pack your bag first, Princess," her mom gestured at her book and toys behind Taeil.

The little girl followed suit, helped by her mom as Taeil began to pack his own stuffs.

A moment later, she was about to pack her own stuffs when Yoojin already dragged Taeil out, taking over Ten who was about to throw the garbage. "Yoojin!" her mom shouted, but it was useless as the girl didn't bother anymore.

"She looks extremely happy today," Johnny commented, arms crossed in front of his chest as he sat on the sofa's arm rest, watching her packing her bag.

She just smiled in reply. She hated to admit that it's mainly because of Taeil.

"Hey," he gently pulled her arm, bringing her to sit next to him. "Thank you so much."

"I tried my best," she shrugged. "I hope it comes out the way you guys expected."

"They did. I've seen most of them. I still can't believe my dream came true today."

She placed her hand on his thigh. "Thank you for believing in me. Although it's not easy, it actually feels good to try and get myself used to it again. Seeing you behind the camera is the reason I could pull it off today."

Johnny caressed her hand before interlacing his fingers with hers. "I'll be here if you want to continue the therapy and practice. We can take it slow. No rush, no pressure. Just us."

"I'll consider that now. Thank you, John." She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, Johnny followed.

"Oh, one more," Johnny prevented her from going. He stepped closer to look into her eyes. Smiling, he leaned in to lock his lips with hers. It was supposed to be a gentle kiss, but the taste of her lips made him changed his plan immediately. He cupped her cheek to hold her while she slowly circled her arms around his neck to close the gap between them. She let his tongue explored her mouth as she slightly parted her lips, welcoming it with a gentle suck once in a while.

His cheek was tinted red as they both pulled away, gasping for air.

She squeezed the strap of her bag, shyly smiling back at him. "I think I should go now," she excused herself.

"Thanks again," Johnny paused, "for everything."

She nodded and headed out just to find Ten smirking at her by the door, casually leaning onto the wall, hands shoved into his pockets.

"It smells like... _love_ ," he quipped.

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Shut up." She exited the studio, leaving Ten chuckling alone.

Throughout the short walk she had towards her place, she couldn't stop thinking about the next scene that would welcome her, Taeil and Yoojin. Suddenly it became so many things to settle while she's been having the most peaceful days of her chaotic life lately. She just couldn't believe the day Yoojin finally met Taeil would happen that soon and unexpected.

Jungwoo was just about to leave when she arrived. She stopped by the counter to greet him.

"Thanks for coming in early, Jungwoo. Tomorrow you can come a bit late as an exchange."

"It's fine. I was free earlier anyway," he shrugged as he looked around, doing one last check of his daily task. "We got a lot today. And I helped the customers ordered some books," he reported.

"I'll update it later. Is Yoojin upstairs?"

"Oh, yeah. With your... friend, I suppose?" he raised his eyebrow, unsure. "I don't think I've ever seen him before."

She showed him a fake smile. "Safe trip back home." By that, she hastily walked upstairs before he got to ask more about _the_ friend.

She entered the living room to be welcomed by Yoojin's tea party. Her small round table was full with fake cups and cakes while the small chairs surrounding it were occupied by her and some of her huge plushies. Taeil across her was sitting on the carpeted floor, holding one of the fake cups as he played along with Yoojin.

"Well, I thought you're just gonna show your plushies?" her mom put her bag on the sofa and got down on her knees next to her.

Yoojin giggled. "I'm serving Uncle Tael some tea first before he goes! Like you always make some for Uncle Johnny!"

Her face fell at the exposure of her habit in front of Taeil. "That's nice, Yoojin. Have fun with him then. I'm gonna be downstairs at the counter, okay?"

She nodded and continued to pretend pouring the tea to her guests' cups.

Without sparing a glance at Taeil, she made her way downstairs. The store was dim as Jungwoo had closed the store. The source of light was coming from the signboard outside and a small table lamp at the counter. She plumped herself onto her chair, letting out a heavy sigh after the long unexpected day.

She couldn't hold herself any longer. Her tears began to stream, pouring out her unspeakable thoughts. She bit her lip, feeling a terrible pain on her chest as all the memories emerged. Just when she thought she was settled with her new life, Taeil unexpectedly came out of nowhere with a spotlight that stole Yoojin's attention. The bond is in the blood, she believed. But she didn't expect it could be stronger than hers who had been with her all those time.

Around fifteen minutes later, she hurriedly wiped her tears as she heard Taeil's steps going down the stairs. She buried her face onto her palms, chanting in her mind that he would just bid goodbye and leave.

"Can we talk?" A slight of nervousness appeared across his face as he spoke.

She shook her head. "There's nothing to be talked anymore."

He sighed, facing the worst that he had expected. He walked around the counter and grabbed Jungwoo's stool to sit in front of her.

"You have all the rights to be mad at me. I won't blame you for that. I would even ask you to do so," he carefully started. "I know my position here. I'm not gonna take any credits of what you've done for Yoojin. Instead, I really thank you for that."

She sat straight up and stared into a distance, trying to focus on a random stack of books at the side aisle, anything to avoid his eyes.

"Now that I've found the two of you, please give me a chance to support Yoojin in any ways," he proposed.

She immediately turned to look at him, glaring as soon as she heard the words. "No way. No way you're gonna keep in touch with her and steal all of her attention. No. All this time I managed to cover all of her expenses. I don't need your help. Just stay away from me and Yoojin and go back to that slutty wife of yours."

Taeil took a deep breath knowing there's a lot for him to fix. "Look, I don't mean to underestimate you. You can put my money away for her savings if you don't want to use mine. As I said, you may hate me all you wish, but don't be selfish and take Yoojin's rights away from her. You may think I don't have any rights on her, but don't forget that she has her rights to have my attention. I'm not even gonna take her away from you. That's how I want to respect you after all this hell."

"Just leave now, Moon Taeil," she firmly ordered. "Just stop talking nonsense and leave us alone. I had enough of you."

"Fine. I will leave, but after I explain the truths you never got to know since you left," he replied. Getting no response from her, he continued. "I never marry anyone, including that slutty friend of yours. Yoojin is my one and only child, no other than her. I spent all these four years looking for you and our child. I messed up big time for falling into that backstabber's trap. I trusted her instead of you, my own girlfriend. My disappointment took over my sanity and made me left you after she convinced me that your baby is not mine while saying that I made her pregnant instead. It's all her lies to ruin us, especially to ruin you, her own best friend. She knew how you would completely break down if I leave you alone with our baby inside you. She did it in purpose. She wanted to ruin your career. She wanted to ruin you."

She pressed her lips together, having a hard time believing everything he said.

"I heard it all myself. She happened to call another friend and everything came out of her mouth, including the fact that her baby is not mine and I never slept with her that it's only her trap. I've never felt that bad my entire life. I couldn't stop blaming myself after since as I continue to be worried sick about the two of you. I immediately left her and went on my own, alone, cutting all the ties just like what you did, and started looking for you. I gave up on my career too. I really don't want to see her again after what she has done to us. I don't even want to go back to any photoshoot if it wasn't for Johnny today."

She looked down on her lap, not knowing what to believe and what to feel.

"And now that I found you, living happily with our child with kind people around, it's enough for me. I couldn't contain my happiness when I saw you again for the first time, but I know that you already hate me for everything I did. And I can't blame you for that. I explained it all not to make you sympathize on me. I just can't stand the fact that you've been living all this time believing the wrong thing. I can accept that you hate me, but I... I just wish Yoojin won't see me that way," he trailed off. "I don't mean to buy her with my money, but I hope you understand that I've missed four years of her life and I don't want to miss another year. Just so you know I would do anything for her from now on."

She didn't budge from her last state. She expected herself to cry the pain out, but nothing came out.

Taeil sighed. "It's your choice on what to believe. Please just think about Yoojin." He stood up and took out his wallet from his back pocket. "Here's my name card. You can contact me anytime. If you don't want to meet me, we can find a way out."


	3. Chapter 3

She couldn't function well in the next few days after her talk with Taeil. Yoojin worsened the situation by endlessly asking when she could meet him again. She had no other choice but to scold the innocent Yoojin once in a while as she hadn't managed to sort things out within herself.

"But Mommy, you're friends with him, right? I saw your pic with him on his phone!" Yoojin argued when her mom told her that she didn't have his contact. She had no idea whether she should be proud or pissed to have such a smart daughter.

At that point, she had no idea how she could respond to her anymore. She couldn't let the situation turned uncontrollable without any certainty. Taeil's words kept haunting her, and she hated to admit that he's right. Yoojin has her rights on him. Restraining her from meeting Taeil had been making her feeling like she's the worst mom ever to be that heartless.

"Uncle Tael said I'm pretty, just like you, Mommy!" Yoojin stood on her mom's lap and hugged her, being clingy with the hope she would have her wish granted in return.

"Did he ask you to call him Uncle Tael?"

"Nope! I made it," Yoojin giggled. "It's cute, isn't it?"

She sighed, _No, I made it_ _first._

* * *

"Hey, come in," Johnny opened his door wider for her. She came without a message that morning after sending Yoojin off to school. "What's up?" he asked, leading her upstairs.

"I know it's your brewing schedule so I stop by," she made an excuse.

Johnny's signature laugh echoed across the living room. "Just tell me you miss me."

"Well," she shrugged. "Could be, but not really though." She followed him to the kitchen area where she took a seat by the island counter, watching him doing the magic.

He served her a cup of coffee before having his own seat next to her. "Been a while, huh? It's always nice to have your coffee with your special someone."

"So you don't have to add extra sugar?"

He winked. "You got my point."

"By the way, how did you know Taeil? I'm just curious since I've never seen him around before," she took a sip of her coffee.

"A long story."

She gestured at her coffee. "I got my hot coffee with me so I'm all ears."

Johnny stared into a distance, smiling to himself. "It was hell," he paused. "It was around... three years ago? I forgot. I was walking home after my night shift at the café. It was before midnight, but that night was so quiet, it's unusual. I found him about to end his life."

A sip of coffee was suddenly so difficult to be swallowed by her as the bitterness became ten fold to her. "How?"

"The bridge was dark. He was standing there, a second from throwing himself off. I didn't think about anything else and I just pulled him back. I have no idea how it would be if I were just a few steps behind," he sighed. "His face was swollen badly from endless sobbing, I guessed. He couldn't stop apologizing, all the way until we reached my apartment. I accompanied him the whole night, trying my best to calm him down. Turned out he lived in the building next to mine, alone. After he's able to talk, I offered him, well, more like I forced him to move to my place. I know he's a stranger, but at that time I somehow felt this strong urge to help him."

She didn't realize she had been holding her breath all along until Johnny paused.

"He was slowly getting better. But then that one night, I suddenly didn't feel well at work so I decided to leave early. Turned out it's my instinct that brought me home. I arrived to find him nearly attempting another one, a handful of pills in his hand. Until that night, he still didn't talk that much to me. He kept apologizing under his breath, sometimes in his sleep. I only knew that he worked as a model, so at first I thought he had like... working problems. But then he eventually told me that he lost his pregnant girlfriend after he made a huge mistake. That's the reason he couldn't stop being sorry."

She hid her glassy eyes by pretending to check on her phone. "And then?"

"After the second attempt, I didn't think twice and take him to get a proper help. It wasn't easy, but it was all worth it. It took maybe almost a year. He decided to get an office job and I moved to open my studio here. We rarely meet after, but we stay in touch. We message each other once in a while, or sometimes go out for a quick lunch."

"You're an angel, Johnny." She held his hand. "He's a total stranger, but you saved him."

Johnny flashed a quick smile. "I... I tried."

Her ringing phone broke the silence, an incoming call from Yoojin's school informing that they're bringing her to the hospital since she's having an alarming high fever. Johnny hurriedly changed his clothes and grabbed his key, leaving the house with her to go after Yoojin.

Yoojin was sleeping when they arrived. Her mom's tears broke as soon as she saw her little daughter lying weakly. She held her small hand, still warm from the fever. The regrets struck her. She should've just forced Yoojin to eat in the previous day rather than letting her moody self took over, resulting in the small amount of food intake she had.

Johnny caressed her back as she buried her face on the space next to Yoojin. "She'll be okay," he hushed her.

She spent a moment staring at her being peaceful in her sleep. "Please forgive me. I'm sorry."

"Let's wait outside for a while. She shouldn't wake up to see you like this," Johnny whispered.

She followed him outside, taking a seat on the bench in the hallway. He sat next to her, circling his arm around her as his thumb caressed her shoulder.

"There's something you're not telling me, right?" Johnny hesitantly questioned. "It's...unusual."

She knew she couldn't hide it anymore. She promised him he deserved to know every single thing. With Taeil around, it was almost impossible for her to keep it secret from everyone anymore.

"I'm worried about your response," she admitted. "I've been keeping everything to myself. No one knows about this."

Johnny gave her a quick embrace. "You can share anything with me, good or bad."

"Don't you find it weird to see Yoojin became that attached to Taeil in their first meeting when she's always freaking out on strangers?" she started off.

Johnny frowned, processing her words.

"And Ten pointed out the same eyes they have," her voice turned shaky as she continued. "During the photoshoot, it's easy for us to adjust, but it's not because we're that good and professional. We... we're used to be partners. We're used to each other all the time."

Johnny's arm fell to her side. "No way."

She slowly nodded. "I'm that pregnant girlfriend he lost. Yoojin is his daughter."

Johnny leaned forward as he hid his face on his hands, elbows resting on his knees.

"It's too much to take, I know," she sighed, leaning her head on the wall behind. "I hope you understand why it took me this long. I don't know how to tell you. I don't even know how to tell Yoojin."

Johnny immediately glanced at her. "She hasn't known yet?"

She shook her head. "I don't have the guts. I'm not ready for what's coming next. I don't even talk to Taeil after that day. It's too complicated."

"Did anything happen after you left that day?" he shifted his sitting position to face her.

"He wants to support Yoojin, but I didn't let him. I'm afraid she will be too attached and eventually leave me to go with him instead," she explained, her empty gaze stared onto the white wall across them. "He told me about what actually happened, but I didn't believe him until I heard your story earlier. And now I don't know what to do. Yoojin couldn't stop asking to meet him. I scolded her a lot lately and she didn't want to eat because of her bad mood. And now this happen. I messed up, didn't I?"

Johnny pulled her into his hug. His warmth melted her tears away as she began to sob hard in his arms. She had no idea that telling everything to Johnny could ease a heavy load of her burden, and she felt bad for not letting him know earlier before all hell broke loose.

"I'm so sorry. If only I knew sooner, you didn't have to go through such pain of having to work with him," he apologized. "I...I will be here if you need me." The realization hit him. He just understood thoroughly what she meant and what she's worried about. It's him.

She remained in his hug as her sobs gradually faded. Her hands were on his waist, squeezing his sweater.

"Don't worry about me. Do what you have to do one by one. It's hard, but you have to believe in yourself," told Johnny. He tried to keep his positivity for her, when in fact his insides were slowly crumbling down. "Do it for yourself and Yoojin."

"What should I do now, John? I'm lost," she trailed off.

He pulled away and embraced her face. He then wiped her tears off with his thumbs. "Yoojin is the priority for now. Call Taeil and ask him to come over."

She sighed. She was about to slip away from Johnny's hands, but he supported her to stay still. "If you can't do that, I will."

Her gaze at him weakened. "I will try first."

Johnny smiled proudly. "I know you're gonna say that. If he agrees to come, I will leave so both of you can talk it out. If you need anything, just call me."

* * *

"What happened?" Taeil asked right away when he came around half an hour later after she called him. He put his backpack on the sofa before he approached his daughter.

"She hasn't been eating well in the past few days and she got a high fever this morning at school," she explained, expressionless.

Taeil stroked her hair as he held her tiny hand. "Thanks for calling me."

"She's been looking for you."

Taeil turned to look at her, confused. "Me?"

"Well, turns out the bond is stronger than what I expected," she shrugged.

The joy on Yoojin's face as she woke up to Taeil in front of her was indescribable. She nearly pulled off the IV just to reach out to ask for a hug.

"Careful, Princess," Taeil calmed her down and leaned in to hug her. "I miss you too."

"You don't want to hug mommy?" she asked from the other side of the bed, arms folded on her chest, pretending to be mad.

Yoojin hesitantly grinned as she spread her arms wide for her. "I want to go home, Mommy. It's painful."

She planted a kiss on her forehead. "Promise me you will eat a lot from now on."

Yoojin nodded. "I'm happy to see Uncle Tael and Mommy." She clapped on her own, smiling widely.

"I'm happy to see you too, but let's finish these delicious food from the nurse first, shall we?" Taeil seized the moment to persuade her to eat her lunch. He folded his sleeves and moved the tray closer. He then cleaned his hands with the provided alcohol before opening the wrapper.

She stepped away to let Taeil spent his time with his daughter alone after all this time. Her mind continued trying to convince herself that it's all gonna be okay as Johnny's words from earlier kept ringing in her head. She sat back on the sofa, observing the father and the daughter before she took out her phone and messaged Johnny.

_Thanks for supporting me, John._

**_Anytime. What's up?_ **

_Nothing. I'm just glad I made the right decision because of you._

**_Always keep the people around you in mind and you'll do great_** ❤️

She couldn't help to sigh reading his last message. He's hurting too, she knew it. Yet he didn't want to show that side of his to her, who's in fact wasn't in a much better situation either.

Taeil then accompanied Yoojin until she fell asleep from the afternoon meds. He then moved to sit next to her on the sofa.

"I bought lunch for you," informed her.

Flustered, Taeil awkwardly smiled. "Oh, thanks. Have you had yours?"

She shook her head. "Mine's here. I'm waiting for you to finish."

Taeil was surprised seeing his favorite menu in the box. He reflexively glanced at her.

"I just happened to remember it," she answered his questioning stare.

He smiled. "Thank you."

They had their lunch in an awkward silence after, only munching sounds could be heard vaguely. They looked at Yoojin once in a while, worried if the little girl suddenly woke up.

"Aren't you going back to work?" she asked Taeil who remained seated after they finished their lunch.

"No, I will stay overnight here. I've told my boss I'm not going back until my daughter's allowed to go home," replied him as he took off his necktie.

It's the weirdest thing she had ever heard, Taeil referring Yoojin as his daughter.

"Taeil," she broke the silence later.

He turned to see her, waiting for her to speak.

"I'm sorry about last time," she apologized. "I shouldn't respond that way."

"It's okay, I totally understand. I've expected that anyway," he smiled in relief.

"May I ask you something?"

"Anything you want to know," he shrugged.

She bit her lip, preparing herself for the worst just in case. "Why didn't you tell me about what you went through with Johnny?"

He snorted. "He told you?"

"I _asked_ him," she corrected.

"I've told you I didn't tell you things to win your sympathy. It's unnecessary for you to know anyway."

"Unnecessary, you said? We almost lost you twice!" she shouted in a whisper, careful not to wake Yoojin up.

"Because I thought I've lost the two of you forever at that time. I was just so desperate to find you. Now that I've met you and Yoojin, it's not important anymore. What's done is done," his jaw tautened. "I can apologize to you in person."

She took his hand and held it tight. "There's nothing else to apologize for. I'm sorry for making you had to go through all of that," she stuttered. "I'm the one who should be sorry, Tael."

Taeil was about to wrap her in just a quick hug, but she hugged him tight, holding him in place. "Thank you so much for making it through," she whispered. "Yoojin needs you."

"You too. Thank you for not giving up on Yoojin. It's... the worst case scenario I couldn't shrug off my mind that time. Now I'm really thankful to have you as her mom," he slowly pulled away to look at her before the corner of his lips curved up forming a proud smile. "So, Johnny knows about this?"

She gulped down the bitter reality. "Yeah."

"Is he okay? I mean... since the two of you-"

"We're fine," she cut him off. "Don't worry, he understands."

He sighed in relief. "I'm glad that it's him whom you met."


	4. Chapter 4

"Yoojin," she called her who was busy coloring her book the next weekend. The girl looked up to see her mom. "Do you want to meet dad?" a hesitant grin appeared as she asked.

Yoojin blinked her eyes for a few times. "Dad is coming?" she asked back in disbelief. "Yoojin's dad is coming?" she stood up and waited for her mom's answer.

She nodded. "Are you excited to meet him?"

"Mommy! I have to look pretty!" Yoojin exclaimed. "I'm meeting daddy!"

She couldn't help to laugh, pulling her into a hug. "Hey, you're already born pretty, Yoojin."

Later that evening, she just finished cooking dinner and changed her clothes when Taeil arrived. The clueless Yoojin ran to welcome him as usual whenever he came to visit. Her mom was setting the table up while Yoojin dragged Taeil around to play with her.

"Uncle Tael! Mom said my dad will come home tonight!" Yoojin bragged to him who smiled in reply.

"Really? She didn't tell me that!" he glanced playfully at the mom who rolled her eyes. He out of nowhere hushed Yoojin as he gestured her to be quiet. "Wait. I think I heard a knock downstairs. It must be him!"

Yoojin gasped. "Mom! Did you hear that? Is that dad?"

"Let me check first. You wait here with mom, okay?" told Taeil.

The little girl obeyed and sat nicely by the table. Her mom joined in next to her. After a moment, Taeil then reappeared from downstairs and sat with them as if nothing happened.

Yoojin frowned, confused. "Where is dad?"

"Here, in front of you," Taeil casually shrugged.

"Why are you lying to me? Where is dad," Yoojin began to sulk, thinking Taeil had just deceived her.

Her mom secretly smiled watching the scene before her.

"Why? You don't like me?" Taeil teased her further.

"No, I like you, but I want to meet daddy. I want to see him," Yoojin whined, her hands shaking Taeil's arm to persuade him to tell her the truth.

"Give me your pinky finger," Taeil requested. He twined his with hers after she stuck out her finger. "I promise I won't lie."

"Where is my dad, Uncle Tael," her whine worsened as she began to climb onto his lap.

"I'm...your dad, Yoojin," he stated, eyes looking into hers deeply, trying to convince her.

Yoojin was dumbfounded for a moment. She didn't respond, but staring back at him. "Mommy?" she glanced at her mom for back up after realizing Taeil had promised her earlier.

She nodded, approving his words. "Dad is now hugging you, Yoojin."

Yoojin hesitantly touched his cheeks with her tiny hands. "Dad? You're my dad?"

Taeil pressed his lips together as he held his tears back. He nodded. "Daddy's here, Yoojin."

Yoojin couldn't respond the words she had just heard. Staring blankly at him, she scooted closer and hug him in silence. "Don't leave me and mommy again...Dad. I love you so much."

* * *

"Morning," Johnny greeted as he walked into the store with two cups of coffee in his hands.

She made space for him to sit next to her behind the counter. "Here comes the suhshine."

His laugh echoed inside the empty store. "Your one and only, delivering your morning coffee as usual."

"Well, I never asked," she debated, lightly slapping his upper arm.

"So, how's it going?" asked him before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Here I am in my store," she mindlessly replied.

"Don't beat around the bush," he sneered.

She fell silent knowing what exactly he's asking. "We told Yoojin already," she sighed.

"And... how about-"

"Nothing," she interrupted before he got to finish his question. She could guess where it's going to.

Johnny grinned. "So it's okay for me to be here?"

"As long as you share your coffee with me," she offered her pinky finger in front of his face.

He locked his pinky finger with hers and stole a quick peck on her lips.

"Johnny!" she squealed.

A proud smirk flashed across his face. "Gotta seize the moment."

* * *

It had been a month since Taeil became a regular visitor to their place. Using his work as an excuse not to live there together, Taeil compromised it with scheduled video calls with Yoojin. Her mom was expecting herself to be bothered and uncomfortable with his presence around, but it was rather enjoyable as how she's used to it in the past.

Yoojin was the real winner. Although Taeil had earned his initial position, Johnny continued to shower her with attention. He would pick her up from school in his free time and buy her stuffs. Nothing changed.

Ten was the one who freaked out the most when Johnny told him about everything. He was finally able to confirm that it wasn't merely his feelings when he thought Taeil suddenly became awkward as he pointed out his similarity with the daughter. But he also then realized the bigger deal, Johnny's feelings. Johnny being himself would just grin and joke around whenever he asked him about that, but Ten knew how good Johnny was in hiding his true feelings. Knowing it's almost impossible to stop his best friend, he decided to watch from a distance, ready to be Johnny's safeguard measure just in case.

It was just another normal day. Taeil visited her and Yoojin on a Sunday morning. She decided to close the store that day and let Jungwoo focused on his upcoming exams.

They had just finished their lunch, a huge meal set Taeil had ordered. After spending some time reading books with Taeil, Yoojin slowly drifted off to sleep. He then carefully moved her to the bedroom and went back to the living room to sit with her mom.

Although they're used to each other already, but the awkward air was still unavoidable when it's just the two of them.

"May I ask something?" Taeil broke the silence first.

"Sure," she casually shrugged. Somehow she's grateful that her mood to argue with Taeil had long gone after she poured it out during their first meeting.

"Are you planning to take things to the next step with Johnny?" he hesitated.

Weirdly enough, she didn't get offended by the question although she expected herself to. She was too flustered that she couldn't answer anything. She herself wasn't sure what's the real thing between her and Johnny after all.

"I... I don't mean to interfere or anything, but I just want to know who's gonna be Yoojin's full time dad," he awkwardly chuckled. "If it's Johnny, then I don't need to worry."

She laughed along with him, imagining Johnny being overwhelmed with dad duties. "Are you sure about him? Because I'm not," she joked. "He's scared of Yoojin."

Taeil smiled. "At least I know how much he loves you. You're the one he always talks about whenever we met. Well, he admits how he's worried over Yoojin though, but I guess he just needs time."

She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know, to be honest. I mean, I know Johnny. He's nice, he loves Yoojin, he could be the best guy I could ever ask for. I never think much when I'm with him," she described. "All this time we never talk seriously about the two of us. We just let things fall into place on its own. We don't need to try so hard," she paused, a slight hesitance in her voice. "But actually I've been considering someone else."

"Oh, it's...it's your choice, of course. I'm not forcing you to go for Johnny though. Whoever it will be, I just hope you don't mind me to meet him too beforehand," he proposed. "May I know who is he?"

"He's my ex. You know him well," she pressed her lips together, nervous at his reaction.

As expected, his face turned tense. There's one and only ex that he knew, no other than their old co-worker. "Jung Jaehyun?" he took a deep breath after he muttered his name, having a hard time believing that she's actually reconnecting with the guy.

"Is there any problem? You look... bothered," she assumed.

"N-no," his lie got him stuttered. "Well, the Jung Jaehyun I know last time was a jerk, but people change, right?" he made an excuse.

She smiled as she looked into his uneasy eyes. "Yeah, people change. But I'm not talking about him though. I bet you also know about my other ex named Taeil. His full name is Moon Taeil if I'm not mistaken."

Taeil freeze in his place, staring blankly at her. "Wait, are we on the same page? You... wait. Where were we? We're talking about-"

"Yes, Taeil. We're talking about this one vacancy to be a full time dad for Yoojin, which supposedly to be a full time husband for me too. No other guy would fit perfectly into the position except you," she confirmed.

"But... Johnny...," he hesitated to proceed.

She held his hand. "I won't ever trade Yoojin's happiness for anything else," she assured. "I've never seen her as happy as when she's with you. That's how I know that it could only be you."

"I... I get it, but how about you? I mean, if Yoojin wants to be with me, I'm fine. I can even take her with me, I don't mind. I... I just want you to have your own choice too. You deserve to be happy," he spluttered.

"Moon Taeil," she began. "I went through hell, just like you. Now I'm sane enough to choose what I want, and I choose you. Having you around in the past month helped me to realize that it's actually my dream, the dream I had when I first found out that I was pregnant, the dream I buried after the harsh reality broke my expectations, the dream I've never dared to remember after since. It's the dream to have a small family with you and our children. You came back with a good intention, and you brought back my hope and my courage to live the dream," said her. "We all made mistakes. We had our own part. But now we've come to the end of our hell. It's time for a new beginning together. Not only for Yoojin, but for the two of us too. All this time I've been in denial on what happened in the past. I kept wishing that it's all just another nightmare and you would wake me up telling everything's okay like you always did."

Taeil looked away, hiding his glassy eyes as he tried to process her words.

"I want to be happy with you, Tael. We can start again," she added.

He turned to face her, a smile grew between his tears. "Johnny will definitely kill me for this, but I guess I could care less when it comes to the two of you."

She smirked. "No, don't worry about him. He will just bawl for a few weeks but after that he will be fine. He's a strong man. He will need some time, but he will be fine, I believe."

"Hey," he slipped his hand out of hers to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry again for everything I've done. Never I spent a day without regretting my worst decision."

"But without such pain we might not be able to treasure each other this much, isn't it?"

Taeil mirrored her sincere smile. "I didn't realize I miss you that much until I saw you again, _______."

"The wait is over," she whispered.

"It is," he ended the conversation with the deepest kiss they had been longing for.


	5. Dear Johnny

"Hi, John. Are you home?" she clamped her phone on her shoulder using her cheek as she packed the cookies she had just baked. It's dinner time and she's alone at home as Yoojin stayed overnight at Taeil's place.

" _Yup. Why?"_ he shortly replied, munching sounds could be heard in between.

"I'm coming over, bringing your dessert." Instant regret struck her as soon as she closed her mouth.

Without a doubt, Johnny misinterpreted her words in purpose. " _My dessert? Covered with what color of lipstick tonight?"_ he laughed so loud, enough for her to hung up on him and depart for his place for her to be able to smack him in person.

"Alone? Where's Yoojin?" he immediately questioned her presence as soon as he opened the door.

"Kidnapped by her dad. It's just weird to be home alone for the first time after years," she shrugged.

She put down the cookie jar on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa, followed by him.

"Too many weird things lately," Johnny replied, chuckling.

"It might get weirder," she added.

"How weird could it be?" challenged Johnny, but she didn't laugh along with him. It suddenly hit him. "You've made your decision, haven't you?"

She gulped nervously. "Look, Johnny-"

"I'm fine. It's okay," he cut her off as if he knew what she was about to say.

"Johnny," she nearly begged. "No matter what I choose, it will definitely hurt one of us."

"I know, and I'm all prepared for it," he announced.

She twined her arm with his and interlaced their fingers, just like what they usually did. "No, we're not."

Johnny was at loss of words, completely beaten by the harsh truth. "I can try," he trailed off.

"Taeil asked when we will tie the knot," she said after a long silence. "He's the one who convinced me how much you love me and Yoojin."

Johnny's hold on her hand tightened as he took a deep breath. "I can't believe how bad I must've hurt him when he realized the person I've been talking about to him all this time is the person he's been looking for," his voice was down to a whisper. "I witnessed his worst years. I swear to God it freaking hurts me too seeing him like that. I'm definitely the worst kind of devil if I dared myself to take his love away. I'm hurting myself, I know. But it's nothing compared to what he's been through. Yet, he still considered about trusting you and Yoojin to me. That guy, really."

"Because he knows how kind you've been to him."

He scoffed. "Even if I could, I don't think I would be able to live with you like nothing happened while knowing he's entering his second round of despair. He can't lie that he only loves you, no matter how much you hate him after what happened," he paused. "So do you. You don't need to tell me that deep inside you still love him. He's the reason why you find it so hard to open up to me, isn't he?" he let out a heavy sigh. "I figured it out once you told me about him. I guess it's the day for you to confess it yourself."

Her tears fell. It's harder than what she expected. "Johnny," she trembled. "Please forgive me."

A moment passed by in silence. "Extreme pain could really silence people up, huh?" he stared blankly into a distance.

"I don't want to ruin things between us, but I have no other choice," her voice cracked.

"Someone will be hurt anyway," he said. "And I didn't help him last time just to crush him one more time."

The dead air was slowly killing them as no one dared to continue talking. Only her faint sobs could be heard; Johnny's empty gaze pinned on the empty coffee mug on the table. However, their twined arms stayed in place as if nothing happened.

"I'm gonna be mad if I'm not the one who takes your wedding photos," Johnny mumbled, breaking the silence.

She snorted before turning to look at him. "It's a deal," she smiled weakly.

Johnny moved his arm to wrap around her shoulder. He stroked her blushing cheek using his other hand as he looked deep into her brown eyes and smiled at her. "I'm really happy for you. I mean it," he softly confessed.

"It wouldn't happen if it's not because of you, Johnny. You're a big part of it."

His gaze trailed down and stopped on her lips. "You're so beautiful, do you know that?"

"If you convince me," she replied.

Johnny leaned in and pressed his lips on hers as the thought of not being able to do that anymore began to haunt him. His hand held her to stay still while he tasted her for the last time. The kiss was sweet and gentle, just the way he wanted her to remember it as.

The tip of her fingers grazed his cheek before she gently pulled him closer by his nape, slowly deepening the kiss. Eyes closed, she cherished the way his lips glided gracefully over hers. "I shouldn't do this, right?" she asked in a whisper as they broke the kiss for some air.

Johnny smiled. "It's okay, we won't have this kind of moment again," assured him. "Stay with me tonight. Let me love you with my own way, for the first and last."


End file.
